die cowboys die wrote:we outplayed them by such a wide margin it's unthinkable we lost the game. of course, the overall trend of vastly outplaying was overshadowed by our typical and inexplicable spat of mistakes. campbell can be excused for his today- he played a hell of a game for his 4th ever as a pro. betts was fabulous again.

carlos rogers is an abomination.

the INT returned for TD was bullspit. one wonders when the petty, vindictive, jouvenile Football Gods will get sick of doling out these ludicrously unrealistic disaster plays against us, particularly against the eagles (see: the TD off a ball bobbled into the air last time we played them).

i've been giving saunders the benefit of the doubt all season. as far as i've been concerned, his reputation has made him above reproach. but i am pretty pissed today. there were WAY too many damn times we passed instead of just slamming it on the ground. 3rd and shorts. when we were on the 3 yard line needing a TD to win (yes we needed a TD to win. you don't count on THIS defense to get the ball back with the game on the line), POUND THE BALL UP THE MIDDLE FOUR TIMES IN A ROW. WHAT THE HELL WERE WE DOING PASSING. i know we've been moaning for TJ in short yardage situations but that was before betts had been running so fantastically for 2 games in a row. and he didn't even get a shot at the TD??????????????????????????????????????????????????????

AND WHAT THE CRAP IS WITH ALL THESE FALSE START AND ILLEGAL MOTION/FORMATION PENALTIES AT HOME????? it's preposterously inexcusable, and absolutely sabotaged us several times in the game!!!!!!!!!!!!!! especially there at the end.

furthermore, i know we ALMOST came back and won, BUT WHAT IS WITH GIBBS BEING SUCH A SWEATY VAGINA and sending the FG unit on all the time? even on 4th and 1 when down 21-3???? HE NEEDS TO GROW A SET OF TESTICLES.

[/disgusted rant]

I hear your frustration. But I have a hard time not being heartened by JC playing a lot better then last week and the team overall playing better. Better then they were. Given we were 4-8, isn't that something to take from the game? Maybe we're starting to build back?

The difference was our "rookie" QB. Who played well but not quite well enough to win. But it could be worse, we could be playing washed up Brunell and accomplishing nothing.

die cowboys die wrote:we outplayed them by such a wide margin it's unthinkable we lost the game. of course, the overall trend of vastly outplaying was overshadowed by our typical and inexplicable spat of mistakes. campbell can be excused for his today- he played a hell of a game for his 4th ever as a pro. betts was fabulous again.

carlos rogers is an abomination.

the INT returned for TD was bullspit. one wonders when the petty, vindictive, jouvenile Football Gods will get sick of doling out these ludicrously unrealistic disaster plays against us, particularly against the eagles (see: the TD off a ball bobbled into the air last time we played them).

i've been giving saunders the benefit of the doubt all season. as far as i've been concerned, his reputation has made him above reproach. but i am pretty pissed today. there were WAY too many damn times we passed instead of just slamming it on the ground. 3rd and shorts. when we were on the 3 yard line needing a TD to win (yes we needed a TD to win. you don't count on THIS defense to get the ball back with the game on the line), POUND THE BALL UP THE MIDDLE FOUR TIMES IN A ROW. WHAT THE HELL WERE WE DOING PASSING. i know we've been moaning for TJ in short yardage situations but that was before betts had been running so fantastically for 2 games in a row. and he didn't even get a shot at the TD??????????????????????????????????????????????????????

AND WHAT THE CRAP IS WITH ALL THESE FALSE START AND ILLEGAL MOTION/FORMATION PENALTIES AT HOME????? it's preposterously inexcusable, and absolutely sabotaged us several times in the game!!!!!!!!!!!!!! especially there at the end.

furthermore, i know we ALMOST came back and won, BUT WHAT IS WITH GIBBS BEING SUCH A SWEATY VAGINA and sending the FG unit on all the time? even on 4th and 1 when down 21-3???? HE NEEDS TO GROW A SET OF TESTICLES.

[/disgusted rant]

I hear your frustration. But I have a hard time not being heartened by JC playing a lot better then last week and the team overall playing better. Better then they were. Given we were 4-8, isn't that something to take from the game? Maybe we're starting to build back?

The difference was our "rookie" QB. Who played well but not quite well enough to win. But it could be worse, we could be playing washed up Brunell and accomplishing nothing.

I think our young qb did play well enough to win, the game plan was too comservative at points in the game when we needed not to be. Our D let us down as well. I loved when they brought Taylor on that blitz, it worked, why didn't we see it again at some point?

die cowboys die wrote:we outplayed them by such a wide margin it's unthinkable we lost the game. of course, the overall trend of vastly outplaying was overshadowed by our typical and inexplicable spat of mistakes. campbell can be excused for his today- he played a hell of a game for his 4th ever as a pro. betts was fabulous again.

carlos rogers is an abomination.

the INT returned for TD was bullspit. one wonders when the petty, vindictive, jouvenile Football Gods will get sick of doling out these ludicrously unrealistic disaster plays against us, particularly against the eagles (see: the TD off a ball bobbled into the air last time we played them).

i've been giving saunders the benefit of the doubt all season. as far as i've been concerned, his reputation has made him above reproach. but i am pretty pissed today. there were WAY too many damn times we passed instead of just slamming it on the ground. 3rd and shorts. when we were on the 3 yard line needing a TD to win (yes we needed a TD to win. you don't count on THIS defense to get the ball back with the game on the line), POUND THE BALL UP THE MIDDLE FOUR TIMES IN A ROW. WHAT THE HELL WERE WE DOING PASSING. i know we've been moaning for TJ in short yardage situations but that was before betts had been running so fantastically for 2 games in a row. and he didn't even get a shot at the TD??????????????????????????????????????????????????????

AND WHAT THE CRAP IS WITH ALL THESE FALSE START AND ILLEGAL MOTION/FORMATION PENALTIES AT HOME????? it's preposterously inexcusable, and absolutely sabotaged us several times in the game!!!!!!!!!!!!!! especially there at the end.

furthermore, i know we ALMOST came back and won, BUT WHAT IS WITH GIBBS BEING SUCH A SWEATY VAGINA and sending the FG unit on all the time? even on 4th and 1 when down 21-3???? HE NEEDS TO GROW A SET OF TESTICLES.

[/disgusted rant]

dcd, I was reading something the other day, which made me think of your posts (generally post-game posts). I think I finally understand what's going on here.

"Successful hyperboles are also metaphors, e.g. the one about the man with a black eye, 'you would have thought he was a basket of mulberries'; here the 'black eye' is compared to a mulberry because of its colour, the exaggeration lying in the quantity of mulberries suggested.

". . .Hyperboles are for young men to use; they show vehemence of character; and this is why angry people use them more than other people." -- Aristotle

But would the Redskins have traded Champ Bailey AND a 2 to get Portis if they knew Betts was gonna be this good...

Well, what else were we going to do with Champ? It was clear that we weren't going to be able to keep him here. He wanted out and he wanted money that we couldn't possibly pay him. (Although I should never put things beyond Snyder, though. . .).

Plus, we picked up Griffin and Springs with the money that was left over.

I'm going to go on record and say that it was a smart move to kick the field goal in the 4th quarter when we did.

Remember that we were looking at a 4th and goal from the 17 yard line. . .right after Campbell had been sacked and right after a penalty and right after a couple of broken plays.

I don't see how you can defend going for the TD on 4th and 17 when a field goal keeps you in it, especially with how our D had been playing in the 2nd half. It makes me glad that Gibbs is coach and not some media pundit.

Or maybe when people say that we should have 'gone for the TD' they are refering to earlier in the half when it was 4th and 2 on the Eagles' 14. (This was after a scramble by Jason that didn't quite get there). However, at that time it was 2 minutes into the 3rd quarter: Why risk it all at that moment and destroy the momentum for a comeback? Who knew that we had yet to stall out on a couple more drives and would be in a tough spot so late in the 4th? No, at that point you have to try and get points however you can.

I'm going to go against the grain with what is likely to be on the boards in the next week and say that Coach Gibbs put us in position to win. Execution is the main reason why we lost--but what's new? At least our team looked improved today; I'm starting to have a lot of hope for the future once more.

Irn-Bru wrote:I'm going to go on record and say that it was a smart move to kick the field goal in the 4th quarter when we did.

Remember that we were looking at a 4th and goal from the 17 yard line. . .right after Campbell had been sacked and right after a penalty and right after a couple of broken plays.

I don't see how you can defend going for the TD on 4th and 17 when a field goal keeps you in it, especially with how our D had been playing in the 2nd half. It makes me glad that Gibbs is coach and not some media pundit.

Or maybe when people say that we should have 'gone for the TD' they are refering to earlier in the half when it was 4th and 2 on the Eagles' 14. (This was after a scramble by Jason that didn't quite get there). However, at that time it was 2 minutes into the 3rd quarter: Why risk it all at that moment and destroy the momentum for a comeback? Who knew that we had yet to stall out on a couple more drives and would be in a tough spot so late in the 4th? No, at that point you have to try and get points however you can.

I'm going to go against the grain with what is likely to be on the boards in the next week and say that Coach Gibbs put us in position to win. Execution is the main reason why we lost--but what's new? At least our team looked improved today; I'm starting to have a lot of hope for the future once more.

Just for the record, I'm with you 100%, Irn-Bru

I mean, what are these guys saying, that we want to get rid of Gibbs and start all over again? Again? Get rid of Saunders and have to learn a new offense AGAIN?

I really want to know who these people think Gibbs and/or Saunders should be replaced with.

But would the Redskins have traded Champ Bailey AND a 2 to get Portis if they knew Betts was gonna be this good...

I'm shocked by Betts. I keep expecting him to come to earth but he keeps getting better. What if Betts keeps average 5 yard plus per carry for the rest of the year, to go with his catches? What do we do then?

But would the Redskins have traded Champ Bailey AND a 2 to get Portis if they knew Betts was gonna be this good...

I'm shocked by Betts. I keep expecting him to come to earth but he keeps getting better. What if Betts keeps averaging 5 yard plus per carry for the rest of the year, to go with his catches? What do we do then?

Irn-Bru wrote:I'm going to go on record and say that it was a smart move to kick the field goal in the 4th quarter when we did.

Remember that we were looking at a 4th and goal from the 17 yard line. . .right after Campbell had been sacked and right after a penalty and right after a couple of broken plays.

I don't see how you can defend going for the TD on 4th and 17 when a field goal keeps you in it, especially with how our D had been playing in the 2nd half. It makes me glad that Gibbs is coach and not some media pundit.

Can't argue with any of that, so I won't. Still, it bothered me the first play of that series, 1st and goal from the 3, when they lined up in an obvious run formation (I think it was a 2 back, 2 TE set, with TJ in the backfield). Nothing wrong with calling a run on that down, but you might as well wave a sign announcing the play if you're going to do it like that. Why not keep Betts in there (he was obviously 'hot' today) and line up with 2 wide (or something similar), and make the Eagles guess what the call's going to be?

But would the Redskins have traded Champ Bailey AND a 2 to get Portis if they knew Betts was gonna be this good...

I know you're not banging on Portis, but IMHO, Betts is getting the benefit of having someone that can and will throw downfield under center. Portis has yet to have that luxury. Also, the line is finally starting to block better. Why now? What took so long?

There is no way, again IMHO, that there should even be a question as to who the starter is next year. PORTIS, hands down.

HitDoctor wrote:Everyone relax on the Betts comments, please. He is a back up RB who has had a couple of good games vs. shaky D's. Doesn't have the vision or speed or Hands of portis. So kill that garbage now!

what perpetuates this myth that portis is a good receiver? he drops half the balls that are thrown to him. betts has MUCH better hands than portis, he almost NEVER drops a pass.

Irn-Bru wrote:I'm going to go on record and say that it was a smart move to kick the field goal in the 4th quarter when we did.

Remember that we were looking at a 4th and goal from the 17 yard line. . .right after Campbell had been sacked and right after a penalty and right after a couple of broken plays.

Irn-Bru, i agree with you 100% the FG there was the only rational choice. it's just sickening that it ever came down to that in the 1st place. we had a 1st down on the 3 yard-line, why didn't we just pound it on the ground 4 times in a row if necessary for the go-ahead TD??? and the 12 men in the huddle??? how can we possibly self-destruct so badly on such a consistent basis, with such fundamental, no-brainer things like that? it's just mystifying. is it a lack of discipline? is it a product of confusion from having too many coaches barking out instructions? i just can't understand.

as sickened as i am about all this, i am also very encouraged by the development of Chicken Noodle, and the fact that it looks like the offense is FINALLY starting to click with saunders' offense. i think the worst thing we could do is switch now, even if we're unhappy with some of the playcalling (rightfully so). campbell and the o-line need to keep rolling with the same system next year and not have to start all over again.

as for who could we replace gibbs with,
my vote would be some kind of mule or something, a horse or a donkey maybe. on every 4th down in opposition territory (or when down by 3 scores) we could just ask him to stomp once for "KICK" or twice for "GO FOR IT!". i think that would be a tremendous improvement over gibbs, because even though it obviously has no idea what it's stomping about, there would probably at least be a 50% chance of getting to go for it, whereas gibbs' ongoing cowardice gives us maybe a 10% chance.